EIA revises short-term bioenergy, residential wood heat forecasts

The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the March edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, predicting that non-hydropower renewables will provide 10 percent of U.S. electricity generation in 2018 and nearly 11 percent in 2019, up from less than 10 percent in 2017.

Wood biomass is expected to be used to generate 120,000 MWh per day of electricity this year, increasing to 121,000 MWh per day next year. Waste biomass is expected to be used to generate 59,000 MWh per day of electricity this year, increasing to 60,000 MWh per day next year.

The electric power sector is expected to consume 0.283 quadrillion Btu (quad) of waste biomass in 2018, increasing to 0.287 quad in 2019. The sector is also expected to consume 0.251 quad of wood biomass this year, increasing to 0.261 quad next year.

The EIA predicts the industrial sector will consume 0.164 quad of waste biomass in both 2018 and 2019. The sector is also expected to consume 1.408 quad of wood biomass this year, falling to 1.395 quad next year.

The commercial sector is expected to consume 0.045 quad of waste biomass in both 2018 and 2019, along with 0.081 quad of wood biomass each year.

The residential sector is expected to consume 0.413 quad of wood biomass this year, increasing to 0.42 quad in 2019.

The EIA predicts 2.229 million U.S. households will use wood as a primary heating fuel during the 2017-’18 winter, down 1.7 percent when compared to last winter. This includes 388,000 households in the Northeast, down 12.1 percent; 553,000 households in the Midwest, down 2.3 percent; 569,000 households in the South, up 4.4 percent; and 718,000 households in the West, up 0.7 percent.